Now that the new iPhone has been released, reviewed, criticised and applauded, it’s time to move on to the next big thing – the unveiling of the new Mac lineup. That’s right fanboys, the new Macbook is going to make an appearance very soon. Apple’s October event, in fact, will have some exciting news!
This year, Apple has plans to introduce MacBook Air featuring minimalistic upgrades with an added support for USB Type-C. Apart from this, Apple is also believed to be working on new iMacs that will be able to integrate new graphic chips from Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
But these updates, though important, are not something that will steal the show. The title of ‘Apple showstopper,’ this time, goes to Macbook Pro, which shines in its never before Avatar in 13-inch and 15-inch variants with Oled display panels above the keyboard. It means that the physical function keys will be done away with, and Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be included.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the panel is referred to as the ‘Dynamic Function Row’ within the company, but this is by no means the official name. The panel requires that the Macbook Pro run on the latest Sierra OS before being launched in the market.
So now when users view their desktop, a screen featuring touch buttons of the standard function row along with controls for brightness and media playback will be presented in front of them. Some other apps like Safari will enjoy particular touch buttons on the OLED display. Apart from this, the volume control buttons will be present on the OLED touch bar, along with the option of displaying the traditional function keys.
Apple is planning some big things for the Apple Pencil as well, but that’s still in the testing stage. It has been noticed that Apple is working on giving users the ability to annotate content in all applications in iOS such as Mail, Message, Safari and more. Right now, the Apple Pencil is restricted to only a few applications.
With regards to the iPad lineup, no significant hardware changes have been announced. We can only imagine that if it has to happen, it will be done next year, at which time there are rumours about introducing a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro. This time, hardware upgradations will involve a faster display technology that allows for smoother zooming, panning, and scrolling.
Apple, after it discontinued the Thunderbolt Display, is also planning a new 5K external display with a built-in GPU. Today’s report tells us that Apple and LG have entered into a partnership for the 5K standalone display similar to what has been done while creating iMac 5K displays.
We can’t wait to see the new MacBook line-up, what about you?